“ONLY THE BIRDS ARE FREE”
The final lecture of the 2005/2006 season of
lectures presented by Pharos – the Hellenic Cultural Society took place
on Monday, May 1st at the Hellenic Community Centre in
Vancouver. Dr. Anna Christake Cornwall presented her book “Only the
Birds are Free” and read excerpts from it.
Anna was born in the US, in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania of Greek parents. Her father had taken his family to
Thessalonica Greece in 1937 to give the children an opportunity to be
immersed in their culture. He had returned to the US but the rest of the
family was trapped in Greece when war broke out. The book is based upon
the real life experiences of Anna, her brother and mother during the
Nazi-fascist occupation of Greece in World War II.
The book which is available in Greek or
English received the First Literary prize by the Transoulis Foundation in
Athens Greece in 2004. It has been favourably reviewed in Greece and the
US. Copies of the book, in both languages were available for sale at the
presentation and all the copies sold out. Many more were put on order.
After the war Anna returned to the US. She
attended university in New York, pursuing a career in medicine. She spent
many years in Canada, continued her studies at McGill University. Over the
years she has been very active in Greek American societies and culture
events. She is a former vice president of the Greek American Behavioral
Sciences Institute and is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Albert
Einstein College of Medicine, New York and the Director of the Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Research Project.
While Anna pursued her career and raised a
family her war experiences were never forgotten.
It took over fifty years of living and many years of research
before those experiences found their way into print.
Anyone interested in ordering a copy of her
book can visit the website www.onlythebirdsarefree.com
Usually the last lecture of the season is
held on the last Monday of April but because that fell on the day after
Pascha (Greek Orthodox Easter) it was moved one week. It is also customary
that the annual general assembly for the Pharos Society be held before the
last lecture of the season commences. This year the general meeting has
been postponed until the autumn, the start of the 2006/2007 season. The
first two lectures will take place on Monday October 30 and Monday
November 27.
Pharos Society is also involved in the
Hellenic Culture Week (June 16 -24, 2006) and Greek Day on Broadway (June
25, 2006).
Pharos
has been a proud supporter of Greek culture for many years, this year
celebrating its 25th anniversary. With the support of Greeks
and Philhellenes it can be around for many more years to come.
TRYING TO KEEP GREEK CULTURE ALIVE
In order to keep the culture of their
forefathers alive the Greek immigrants and their descendants have
congregated at their churches and community centers. The church feast days
and community “Greek” days have helped to build a bridge between the
culture of the “old” and the “new”.
The
coming of warmer weather brings about a multitude of outdoor festivals
around BC. In June the Greek
Orthodox Community in Surrey holds its festival from June 9 – 18th,
followed by Hellenic Culture Week (June 16-24) and Greek Day on Broadway
(June 25) in Vancouver. The Greek Orthodox Community of East Vancouver, on
Boundary holds its 10 day festival June 30 – July 9th.
The Greek Community of Victoria and Vancouver Island has its
festival Aug. 30 – Sept. 4th.
In September neighbouring St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in
Bellingham, Washington US holds its 4 day annual event Sept.14 – 17th.
The Hellenic Community in Vancouver waits until October to hold its annual
food festival but with cooler weather this is an indoor event.
Many
of the restaurants have also tried to promote Greek culture by holding
their own “Greek” days. On the August long weekend Cosmos Greek
Restaurant in White Rock holds its Greek day (Aug. 5) as part of the
city’s annual 3 day festival along White Rock Beach. It also has Gother
Greek nights throughout the year. At Kostas Restaurant in Langley live
Greek music is featured every weekend. In North Vancouver almost every
Sunday is Rembetika (Greek Blue’s) night at the Anatoli Greek Taverna.
Kerkis Greek Taverna on West 4th in Vancouver also at times
features live Greek music. In Ladner the Gorgona Restaurant features
several Greek nights throughout the year. One was held there on Saturday,
May 21st. Many other restaurants are also organizing their own
events.
Greeks
have always been proud of their culture. Over the years they have
integrated into Canadian society but at the same time they have been
disseminating their culture to other Canadians.
Nickolas Fardoulis – 1929 – 2006
Nickolas Fardoulis passed away suddenly on
May 4, 2006. He will be sadly missed by family and friends.
Nick
was born in Athens Greece on March 1, 1929. He served in the Greek Royal
Navy in 1950 – 1952. In 1953 he became apprentice engineer in the Greek
merchant marine. It was on the ship in Amsterdam Holland that he met his
lifelong friend Efstathios Dimopoulos. Nick gradually advanced in his
career with the merchant marines. In 1957 his friend Dimopoulos who had
settled in Vancouver, Canada helped Nick also immigrate to Canada.
In 1958 Nick brought to Vancouver his fiancée whom he had
met in England during his sea voyages. They were married with friends
Efstathios and Velda Dimopoulos as “koumbare”. Nick and his English
bride Margaret settled in Vancouver and soon three lovely daughters were
born to them. Daughters Tina, Nicole and Eri in turn presented Nick with
six grandchildren.
Nick Fardoulis will always be remembered in
Surrey as the “church builder”. He built the private chapel of St.
Herman in the backyard of Philhellene and Orthodox convert Dr. Edward
Hartley. He was involved with the establishment of St. Nicholas Orthodox
Church in Langley and later St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church, also in
Langley. He was also indirectly involved in forming the Greek Orthodox
Community in Surrey.
A 40-Day memorial will be held for Nickolas
Fardoulis on Sunday June 18th at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
at 4828 – 216A St. in Langley.
Tina, Nicole & Eri,
daughters of Nick Fardoulis proudly showing off a picture of the church
their father built in Surrey.
AHEPA WELCOMES VISITING MP
Jim Karygiannis, the Member of Parliament for
Scarborough-Agincourt (Ontario) made a brief visit to Vancouver at the
beginning of May. He was in the area on official business for the Liberal
party. While he was here he attended several functions of the AHEPA.
The Order of AHEPA, Golden West District #26
held its district convention on Saturday May 6th at the
Hellenic Community Centre, upper hall. Attending the convention also was
the president of AHEPA Canada, Nicholas Spillios of Edmonton, Alberta. On
Sunday May 7th the AHEPA family, including Nicholas Spillios
and MP Jim Karygiannis attended St. George Cathedral for the special
service commemorating the AHEPA brothers who have passed away.
A special dinner was also hosted by AHEPA that evening at Kerkis
Taverna on West 4th Avenue.
Members of AHEPA enjoying
dinner at Kerkis Taverna in Vancouver
